Mudita Ramen pops-up at Communite Table

A friend that works at Communite Table told me about an upcoming pop-up and connected me with chef-owner Joy Liu-Trujillo. It sounds pretty interesting, so I wanted to make to tell you about it.

Mudita Ramen is popping-up at Communite Table every second Sunday, starting this weekend. Joy’s experience “ranges from front of house (bartender, barista, server, manager), to back of the house ( prep cook, event cook, caterer, manager),” so it sounds like she’s seen the food industry from a lot of different angles.

Mudita means “selfless joy” in Pali and “the kind of vicarious joy we can have for others, regardless of our own personal struggles or challenges. This selflessness — being community-minded, rather than competitively valuing oneself in relation to others — promotes a culture free of judgment and criticism, a culture of freedom to be oneself. Our menu and service is offered in the spirit of this selfless joy.”

Bowls can be made vegan by request and Communite’s teas, lemonade, sodas, beer and wine will also be available for purchase.

Joy wants to “create a place where the great folks of Oakland — teachers, organizers, healers, visionaries, artists, parents, all the hard-workin do-goodin people here — have a place to replenish and reconnect. My joy is to feed these people, and to support a lifestyle geared towards sustainability and health (thus the vegetarian offering). Once open, I plan to pick a local Oakland organization to highlight each month, and donate a portion of our profits to them.”

Joy hopes to open her own community-driven, affordable noodle shop in the Laurel in 2016.